Sungjin finished his bath, looked out on the terrace, and relaxed.
The girls are still taking a bath; I hope Rachel is getting proper education.
He thought it was a good idea to let the girls do the teaching. But then, Rachel ran into Sungjin’s arms.
Sungjin Oppa!
She ran to Sungjin like a puppy that hadn’t seen her owner for three days. When she hugged him, he smelled the scent of sweet strawberries.
She’s a real cutie.
Sungjin smiled unintentionally.
Did you have a good bath?
Yeah!
Rachel answered with a happy voice.
I have decided…
Decided what?
I’m going to be your lover!
Sungjin nearly choked.
What did those girls tell her?
So now I can hug you anytime I want to, right?
Rachel was in his arms before finishing her sentence. With that, her bathrobe loosened displaying her soft and lovely skin. She had a beauty that had yet to bloom.
Wait,
Sungjin quickly adjusted Rachel’s bathrobe.
No way.
Why?
Only people that love each other can become lovers.
Huh? I like you; you don’t like me?
It’s not that I don’t like you. Love and like are two different feelings.
What’s the difference?
Sungjin couldn’t find the answer. He thought she was too young to understand.
Besides, I only have book knowledge not any actual experience.
Hmm…it’s something that you feel. When you have to ask, it means you don’t know.
Oh…is it?
Yes. If it isn’t love, we can’t be lovers.
When do you think I’ll know?
Later; it will come naturally.
Until now, Rachel was okay with Sungjin’s rejection but after a series of them, Rachel became dispirited.
But…what if later never comes? I want to be your lover now.
Don’t worry. It’ll come naturally over time. Trust me.
But…what if…the time doesn’t come? I’ve heard Rupellion is sending someone to try and recapture me.
Is that what she was worrying about?
This didn’t predicament didn’t bother Sungjin, and his instincts returned.
Don’t worry. I promise we’ll beat those bad guys, and you’ll always be protected.
He had forgotten for a moment the abuse she had endured as a supposed cursed child, being caged and tortured for years. One victory wouldn’t rid her of all the anxiety she had bottled up inside. She had only held her cool composure as a child of goddess to heal and help people who were in need.
Really?
Of course, and I will help you grow into an adult who can trust and even fall in love. So take your time and enjoy being a child for now.
I won’t let this poor, brave girl become a sacrifice of Rupellion; I’m going to make her dreams come true…
Then later I can become your lover, right?
…huh? Hmm…let’s talk about that when you grow up. You can’t control who you fall in love with.
I’ll make some of her dreams come true, maybe not all.
No! I will be your lover. Okay? Sungjin Oppa!
What?
Teach me what I need to learn to become your lover. I’ll try my best.
She was so cute and stubborn. She was like a blank canvas with infinite possibilities, and Sungjin had to stop the savage animal inside him that wanted to use the blank canvas.
…that as well, maybe later. I have nothing I can teach you.
That as well?
There are things that you can do when you become older. Now, just do whatever you want to do and wait.
Okay.
Rachel was disappointed but nodded.
Sungjin started to worry about his future.
It seems like being surrounded by girls is causing problems…
History told of many conquerors with dilemmas caused by women, and Sungjin wondered if that would be the case for him as well. He decided not to worry about that and just to be more careful.
Now all I have to worry about is the war with Rupellion.
Eustasia was looking at them from a distance.
Pfff. I wonder what kind of things Rachel is asking Sungjin to teach her.
Maybe he likes the natural ways?
It’s possible. Aging different alcohol in distinct ways, that makes sense. The real connoisseurs enjoy all kinds of alcohol.
Hmm. It’s like cake: both cheesecake and strawberry cake is delicious.
Right, right.
Listening to their conversation, Jenna pursed her tail knife.
I don’t have to worry about the kid taking Sungjin’s attention away. I should just become more attractive in my own way.
There was no limit in numbers for a conquerors’ concubines. He could take as many as he wanted.
Haha. I should help my queen, and then I should…
Unlike Sungjin, her worries were not only about Rupellion.
Trouble from Rupellion was coming for Sungjin.
The door of the Basilica opened; the Holy Pope had finally finished his fast prayer and arrived.
He was walking with a springy step, cane in hand, and the Basilica was covered in a black flame. The gigantic building looked like it came from hell, and the sky above was dark. The ground was breathing sulfuric smoke, and the area around the Basilica wilted. Everything was losing its life, tormented and twisted.
Trees became black from curses, and the grass turned to ash. The animals were gone. What remained were aggressive red insects that looked like they would attack without mercy.
The Holy Pope Pedrian was the only one with the ability to do such things, and the four priests kneeled before him.
Your Excellency.
Did you come to greet me?
Please kill us.
What happened during my fast prayer?
the Holy Pope asked with a smile.
So…
The four priests reported the events to the Holy Pope. Rachel, the child of the goddess, who was also the sacrifice to the Basilica, escaped. When they tried to get her back, they were defeated by Sungjin. The four priests had ruined 100 years of planning, and they waited to receive the Holy Pope’s rage and punishment.
That’s what happened.
But the Holy Pope was not angry and his smile remained, like a generous teacher who understood the mistake of his young students.
So the sacrifice escaped, and you weren’t able to get her back from the young warrior?
Please kill us for our mistake.
You weren’t careful enough.
It was our fault to think it was impossible to break the seal. I also suspect the Golden Wise King of Eldorado was behind this but…we can’t be sure. We failed to defeat the lion king of the south.
Chut chut. You let a petty thief from another world steal the sacrifice for God.
The Holy Pope referred to Sungjin, king of the ally of the four kingdoms, as a petty thief.
But humans are imperfect. If you repent your sin sincerely, God will forgive you.
Despite the tenuous situation, the Holy Pope was calm; the four priests laid down and listened to the Holy Pope.
Is he forgiving us?
He is so generous.
It’s all in God’s plan.
But then, the Holy Pope’s tone changed.
The sacrifice can escape from my land, but she can’t escape from my hand that is the agent of God.
The air heated up with the Holy Pope’s anger and obsession.
The sacrifice that runs from her holy duty and the thief who touches the sacrifice, both need to repent in hell for their sins!
The four priests couldn’t even look up; they realized the Holy Pope wasn’t being generous but was directing his anger toward Rachel and Sungjin.
They will know the weight of their unholy sins when choosing to go against God, and I shall bring the sacrifice back to the altar!
The Holy Pope declared this, and the four priests knew that Sungjin and Rachel would soon be punished. They were relieved.
The Holy Pope began to calm down.
With our holy object, we shall bring our sacrifice back. Prepare a boat.
An invisible power made the four priests stand up, without the Holy Pope so much as moving his finger.
That means the holy object is…!
It’s a boat?
Yes. When I completed the eight Basilicas, I received a revelation: a holy object that was waiting for a thousand years under the sea will come up to the surface.
We will prepare now!
The four priests moved quickly.
Sungjin was amazing; his prediction was truly amazing.
But the Holy Pope was not predicting; he received a revelation that was above and beyond prediction. When he said something would happen, that meant it would happen.
Chapter 8
The day after the victory party, Kuga secretly asked for a meeting with Sungjin.
Now that you’ve defeated Rupellion, there’s something you need to know about.
At the serious voice of Kuga, Sungjin’s eyes became fixated.
What’s that?
There’s something you should see. Would you follow me quietly?
Sure,
Sungjin answered and followed.
He arrived at the private room he had given Rachel for prayer. It was the place where she prayed by herself every morning before starting her day. She had asked him not to allow anyone to come near it.
Kuga asked him to be quiet and listen through the wall.
When Sungjin put his ear on the wall, he was able to hear Rachel’s voice.
Goddess, I will cure a lot of people today as well,
Rachel’s prayer was simple but sincere; it made Sungjin smile.
He learned that faith could turn into extreme violence when it came to Rupellion, but when he looked at Rachel he knew faith could save people also.
I’ll try my best; I’ll use the power you gave me to save everyone… so…
The prayer stopped abruptly.
Ugh. Ahhhhh.
She tried not to scream out loud, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Ugh… ugh…
All she could do was moan as screaming was too painful.
Not knowing who was behind the door listening, Rachel was crying.
Goddess…when would you…end…my pain.
She was trying her best to cure other people from pain while not even being able to help herself. It felt like her heart was pinned and knives were under her skin. It was like broken glass floating in her blood vessels. It was more than she would bear.
The scariest thing was…the pain was getting worse. When she couldn’t handle it anymore, she feared she would breathe her last breath.
Would you save me before that? Please save me. I promise to be a good girl.
She was screaming silently that she would save others as god’s will, but to please send someone to save her…
Goddess…I…I…want to… see…something…that is…called…spring.
Her prayer was desperate, but when Sungjin tried to get into the room, Kuga stopped him
Please, leave her alone.
What do you mean?
This is not the first time, but she wanted to keep it secret. Since there’s nothing anyone can do about this curse, she didn’t want others to worry about her.
Rachel said that?
Yes, so please pretend that you don’t know…
Get out of my way,
Sungjin pushed Kuga away.
She wants to hide, but I want to help!
He ran into the room where Rachel was praying.
